I just learned about you and your book which proves that no matter how many years you can be involved in something, you don't know everything and evrybody. I can surely help you with a few new chapters in the future.

"I was one of the first community organizers who Barack Obama met in Chicago over 20 years ago, and I have worked directly with him throughout his political career. In 1986, I was a city wide coordinator while Barack was the Project Director for Project Vote, a historic city-wide voter registration campaign that put over 100, 000 new voters on the books, which set the stage for the historic election of Illinois U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, the re-election of Chicago's 1st Black Mayor Harold Washington in 1987, and a new Chicago City Council."

Mark S. AllenAssociate EditorThe South Street Journal Newspaper*Veteran Political activist with over 30 "straight years in public service on local, state and national levels, including 7 years as a national staff member to the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr*Former talk show host on the legendary Black/News Talk Station WVON*Who's Who Among African Americans*Who's Who In Black Chicago

It seems unfathomable to me, notwithstanding the fact you live in IL, that you could surmize this candidate, BHO, with such astounding superficiality! I would just say consult history, ANY person who is so "haloed" as this Messiah, always end up proving to be the antithesis of what conventional wisdom makes them out to be. He is so vacuous that I predict he will lose in a landslide, mark my words. "Truth" will out in the end. Any person who can contribute and maintain membership in Wright's church, willfully place himself at Aires' house, befriend Pfleger, collude with Rezko to get a house, etc., is nothing more than a political opportunist. One does not need a PhD to get it! He is a facade, he has no depth, no wisdom and no integrity...this is why he will lose, it has absolutely nothing to do with skin color! It has nothing to do with strategy, it has everyting to do with character!!!

I will always have respect for Obama becsuase he came to Chicago and took on jobs that others from Chicago would not. He worked longer hours and lazy people came to hate him because he simply outoworked them and didnt like the fact that local leaders work ethic was not being measured this new guy.

I'm more than happy to help him get elected, and those who don;t have no business complaining. You get up, het involved, and get in the game and play, but you do not sit on the sidelines pointing fingers.

Chicago is a different city politically largley in part because of the historic 100,000 new voters that Barack Obama directed.

About David Mendell

Journalist David Mendell wrote for several Ohio newspapers before joining the Chicago Tribune as a Metro reporter in 1998. He took a buyout from the Tribune in 2008.
At the Tribune, Mendell covered urban issues and politics, as well as breaking national news, such as the Columbine High School shootings and the Seattle riots spurred by meetings of the World Trade Organization. He also covered the U.S. Senate campaign of Barack Obama, which provided the basis for his HarperCollins-published biography of Obama titled "OBAMA: From Promise to Power."
The book was an international and Washington Post bestseller. Mendell has appeared on a host of national news shows, including NBC's Meet the Press, CNN's AC 360, PBS's Frontline and NewsHour, the CBS Evening News, NPR's All Things Considered, the BBC's World View, and others.
In addition to his writing, Mendell is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. A native of Cincinnati, he lives in Oak Park, Illinois.
Mendell can be reached at mendelld@yahoo.com.